Hey All. I have a 2005 Accord EX-L V6 w/181k miles on it and I have a few questions.

First a little back story. I bought the car used in 2010 and for the first 6 months or so, it ran just fine. After awhile, though, I started getting the transmission slippage that I've read so many Honda users get. A new transmission later, the car was up and running again. Then about 2 months ago, I noticed every once in awhile, when I gave it gas, the car would "jerk" for a second and continue. I thought this was probably due to the car needing a tuneup/new spark plugs. So I picked up some NGK Iridiums and figured i'd at least do the spark plug change myself.

When removing the front 3 spark plugs, I noticed that there was a little oil on the coils (from left to right = 1 - 3). 1 looked damp like it had just a bit of oil - 2 showing oil on it, but still not a lot - 3 had a lot of oil on it. The spark plugs were Autolites and looked very old, with Spark plug #3 having A LOT of gunk covering the gap which I would guess is what caused the jerking.

The back set of plugs/coils were clean and fine.

Doing a search, I found that the oil leak could be caused by a few things - Upper and/or lower Spark Plug tube seals and/or the valve cover gasket.

I'm sure all of these need to be replaced, as the car is 180k miles on it and probably has never been done, so here are my questions:

1. What valve cover gasket kit would you recommend and do you happen to know the part number(s)? (I prefer sticking with OEM, but don't know if it is necessary.)

2. Does anyone know of a walkthrough/video on replacing the VCG/Top Seals (i'm staying away from the bottom seals)? (I'm a visual person and have some mechanical experience and can definitely figure it out, but I'd prefer to see something showing me from someone who DEFINITELY knows what they are doing.)

3. Because I'm sure that the #3 Spark plug is fouled again (going to check tonight when i get home) does it need to be replaced, or can I just clean it off and put it back in. It's less than 2.5 months old.

4. Any tips anyone has for something like this and/or am I missing anything I should have asked?


Thank you all for your time!